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I keep telling my 4th grader "cause", as in because is not a word. He keeps insisting and I keep telling him it is wrong. So he agreeded to let the smack board settle our disagreement. So do you allow 'cause'? As in:

 

"It broke cause I dropped it."

"The cookie is gone cause I ate it."

 

 

The fact that I have already completed 4th grade doesn't seem to matter to him.:glare:

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Well, it's sort of slang/for short/informal. And it would have an apostrophe before it. It broke 'cause I dropped it.

 

ETA: And I'd only allow it in a writing assignment if it was he had a character saying it, not in any formal writing! :) If he was speaking aloud and using some slang as a nine year old I'd probably overlook it most of the time.

Edited by NanceXToo
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I should add that my issue is when it is used for written work.

 

He also refuses to accept that if he is going to use it as a shortened form of 'because' it needs an apostrophe. However I really do not want him writing it that way anyway.

 

Tell him it needs an apostrophe and he can only use it when he's writing dialogue, 'cause it's slang. :P

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Have you tried explaining to him that people will think him less intelligent for using "'cause" rather than the proper "because"?

 

Have you also pointed out to him how lucky he is to have a Mom willing to talk about it? Because, were he my son I would have pulled the "because I said so" card AND there would have been time in the "naughty spot" for back-talking.;):D

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I should add that my issue is when it is used for written work.

 

He also refuses to accept that if he is going to use it as a shortened form of 'because' it needs an apostrophe. However I really do not want him writing it that way anyway.

Tell him it is not proper to argue with the dictionary.

 

If he does not use the apostrophe he is actually writing a different word and that word is not appropriate for what he is saying.

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Thank you everyone. It is amazing sometimes the way they accept things when they come from someone else. :glare:

 

Part of the problem is that he is in school this semester. I've written briefly about it before, but due to attitude and just not wanting to do school (here, there or anywhere), he lost the priviledge of homeschooling and is now going to the neighborhood elementary school till we PCS in June.

 

My problem is things like 'cause' are perfectly fine in the school setting.:glare: It is perfectly fine to spell things however you wish as long as it is not on the spelling test. Since starting school in January his spelling has gone way down hill. I understand the teacher has 20 students. I don't expect her to correct every misspelled word on ever piece of paper and workbook page. But maybe pointing out the correct spelling of something on the 3 -4 lined sentence they turn in a writing journal type book once or twice a week would be nice. Just to get the point across that, dear child, you really don't know how to spell everything correctly and you need to not write down just whatever, but maybe think about this or that word next time.

 

I just don't like the standard it is setting for all these kids. I can spell it however because it doesn't matter and once I have a computer, there is spell check. Add into that the 'just hurry up and do it because you have SO much busywork/pointless homework and I'd like to do something, anything before you must go to bed' mentality that the moms, myself included, seem to have adopted.

 

I just think the whole thing is very sad.

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I understand the teacher has 20 students. I don't expect her to correct every misspelled word on ever piece of paper and workbook page.

 

I would expect her to. If she can't keep up with the work she's assigning, she's assigning too much.

 

My high school English teacher had 500 word essays to grade multiple times a week, and she read them well enough to make thoughtful comments on content as well as mechanical corrections. I'm sorry, but 4th grade level writing ought to be a whole lot easier to read through and correct. And as you have noticed, when she neglects to make time for that, she's training the kids in bad habits.

Edited by cottonmama
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